On the 23 May 2007, the European Parliament adopted the Vergnaud report on health services. The report is an own-initiative report on “the consequences on the exclusion of health services from the scope of the Services Directive” which does not go through the co-decision procedure and therefore is not legally binding.
In its report, the Parliament called for the commission to propose “an appropriate instrument” to codify the case laws of the European Court of Justice but does not call for a separate European legislation on health services: The report asks the Commission to propose "an appropriate instrument with a view, in particular, to codify [pertinent] case law or the ECJ"
Among other things, the report emphasises the following:
All EU residents should be treater on an equal basis, regardless of whether they are treated in a public or private setting.
Introduction of a European Charter of Patients’ rights
The creation of single contact points for patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions.
Health services OUT of the EU internal Market
On the 08 May 2007, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Commitee adopted the Vergnaud report with a controversial amendment from Toine Manders (ALDE, NL), calling for health services to be included in the services directive scope. It should be noted that Bernadette Vergnaud, the rapporteur (FR, PES), voted AGAINST her own report because of this amendment.
8 leading organisations, including EPHA, urged MEPs to vote against this Amendment for the following reasons: In order to guarantee high quality and accessible health services, general and public interest must prevail above internal market considerations.
The report as voted on the 8 May, endangers values and principles of health services and jeopardise patients’ safety
Including health services in the scope of the services directive would prioritise the internal market over social protection, social cohesion and social justice
The current report lacks consistency with the position of the European Parliament on the services directive which excluded health services from its scope.
